James Chilton
Background James Chilton was born around 1560 and married Susannah Furner around 1585. They had 9 children that survived until adulthood, Justify being the 5th born and 2nd son. James was a tailor and owned a small store in town. He came from a large and well-off family with many statesmen and religious men of respected status. He was the 5th child and also the 5th son of Lyonell and Edith Chilton, so he had very little inheritance due when his parents died. His store and a few properties in town were all that he claimed from his family great lineage. Religion James and Susannah became devout followers of John Robinson's Separatist movements after they became disenfranchised with the effects of the 1534 Act of Supremacy which levied a fine upon anyone who did not attend Anglican services each week. They officially became Separatists in Canterbury, Kent, England around the turn of the 17th century, and were struggling with the authorities for many years, ducking fines and jail time with bribes until they ran out of money. Things were looking bleak and the Constable was threatening jail time if they did not return to the Church. When their young son Christian Chilton died, they buried him without Anglican rites and were summarily excommunicated. They thought that might be the worst of it, since they were not permitted to return to Church, but then their second son, Justify, caused a scandal with Priscilla Browne, a local Catholic girl. It was a happy coincidence that John Robinson informed them of his plans to move his congregation to Holland, and so they sold their business and whatever assets that hadn't been seized by the Anglican Church and booked passage to a new life. Holland In Holland, James Chilton rented a small apartment near the docks and worked as a tailor for returning sailors. He was educated and had a passion for biblical history, but he seemed to also like to write. Justify remembers his father writing fanciful poems and strange stories that made no sense, and he figured that he was going senile before his time. In order to book passage to Holland, James had to sell Justify as free labor at a printing press. He also arranged for Justify's eldest sister, Isabella, to marry a wealthy man with a fine reputation. Isabella had no interest in the man, but it was enough money to send the family to New Amsterdam. James cheerfully booked passage for himself and his wife, as well as their youngest daughter, Mary. All of their older children decided to live in Holland, and most were already married. Death James Chilton was murdered when a gang of Catholic brutes attacked the homes of several Puritans in the Separatist neighborhood. He bled out as Justify ran towards him from their apartment. Pastor Robinson convinced Justify to go to the New World for his sister and mother, to give them a new home with good people and no Anglicans or Catholics. A safe place that will let them work hard and pray without distraction. Robinson told him that he could take his father's place on the ship and not to alert the other pilgrims of his father's murder for fear that they would become disheartened on the long voyage. Justify kept his father's name for several years after arriving in New Amsterdam, partly to honor him and partly to have the authority that his father commanded. He signed the Mayflower Compact and was considered a pillar of the community. When his mother died, he married off his sister to a good man and changed his name to reclaim his own identity. Category:Personal History Category:Justify Category:Dutch Category:English